Questions & Answers

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

The following part is addressed to private customers who intend to contact us with regard to their questions. Of course, we try our best to answer each question that reaches us as individually and precisely as possible. Heating technology is subject to permanent changes and further development. In addition to this fact, the conditions of the market itself change permanently, too, since other building owners, dealers, and installers also offer their services.

In order to offer potential customers a high standard of service in advance though, we decided to publish a list of frequently asked questions on the Internet. This list is being extended by adding new questions on a regular basis. Therefore, we encourage you to send us your questions by E-Mail as well. The aim is to let this section grow to an information comprisal of heating technology in the run of time. With your concerns in mind, you enable us to improve our products, offer them even on a reasonable budget calculation, and to enhance their efficiency on top. Don't hesitate to contact you with any question unanswered so far. Our team will take good care of it.

The most frequently asked questions are the following:

Question 1:Is it true that a Regulus heating system is not suitable for the installation of a coal-fired furnace due to the low amount of water?

Answer 1:No, that's not true.

But we have two counter questions in return though:

A: What's the difference between a heat output of 1 kW in a conventional radiator and a Regulus radiator?

B: Should radiators function as convector radiators or buffer the surplus output of the furnace?

In order to use the heating value of the combustible and the sustainable boiler output to an optimum, a thermal storage system device should be integrated into the heating system functioning as a buffer. On the other hand, a well-configurated should be working also without any buffer device.

The Regulus heater system radiators can be operated with any heating system based on a coal-fired furnace if all security rules are being met. Those include the correct choice of the boiler, pipes or tubes, and steering control unit combined with the correct configuration of all parts. Heating systems with a coal-fired furnace consist by a number of customers of a gravitation installation that was common until the 1980s. These systems have a specific high dead weight because of their cast-iron parts along with enormous water requirements of roughly 300 liters for 100 square meters of living area. A furnace with an operating level of 25 kW was needed in order to heat the overall mass. It's also important to explicitly remark that buildings in those days had a way higher loss of heat than modern constructions have nowadays. Therefore, modern heating systems need a lower level of water requirements: For the living area indicated above, an iron radiator needs ca. 70 to 80 liters of water respectively a Regulus system with a 10 to 12 kW operating level even just ca. 15 to 20 liters plus boiler water each. The radiators function as a buffer stabilizing the temperature in the heated rooms. Due to the essentially lower total weight of the heating system, there is no need for a power surplus in the furnace. Replacing a gravitation installation by tubes with a higher diameter, pumping systems with a lower one, even made of synthetic material, exacerbates or even troubles such a system leading to a failure of the pumping system and the heat dissipation off the furnace in the worst case. Exceptionally, the water in the furnace may start to boil up but still then the amount of water in the radiators stays irrelevant. All customers, no matter what heating system radiators they were using, experienced a furnace boiling up already. The best choice is always an open system.

A heating system can be compared with the cooling system of an automobile. The cooler dissipates the heat like a radiator does it vice versa. If a cooler has an operating level being too low, the water in the system itself can easily start to boil. The same is true of heating system with similar effects on radiators that are too small compared with the operating heating level of the furnace. Additionally, the possible failure of the pumping system will also lead to a boiling furnace in a well-configured heating system, too.

Question 2:Does Regulus produce radiators with a caliper over 9 cm?

Answer 2:No, we don't.

The majority of the customers doesn't like radiators with a caliper of more than 9 cm that stick out of the walls. Therefore, all Regulus radiators are essentially flatter than comparable products of our competitors. If there is a lack of heat output or a longer radiator doesn't come into consideration, we offer the following three solutions:

A: Ground-mounted doubled radiators with a total distance to the walls of just 20 cm. To order this, one just has to use the option called »dubel«in the order, as e.g. »R6/100 –dubel«. The heat output of such a component amounts 180 per cent compared with a regular single radiator then. Please note that doubled radiators don't have an upper case pod.

B: The heat output of a single radiator of a height over 20 cm can be increased up to 15 per cent by insertion of additional lamellae. This is subject to a small surcharge though and can easily be placed in the order by simply adding a »+«sign after the model, e.g. »R6/100 (+)«.

C: If there is only free space available to the direction of the ceiling due to very narrow walls or a pillar in the way, we offer radiators with a height of more than 60 cm as model R6 with 76 cm, R10 with 98 cm, and R12 with 112 cm. Please note that the maximum width of these radiators is 140 cm.

Question 3:Why is there a difference in the prices of radiators with side supply in comparison to those with a bottom-up supply, e.g. R6/100 to RD6/100?

Answer 3:The difference in the prices of radiators with side supply in comparison to those with a bottom-up supply varies from 60,–to 70,–PLN net for all types simply due to different parts of the components needed. In those models with a bottom-up supply is an integrated temperature-regulation thermostatic outlet with a six-ary preselection fixed with the water system. This controls the flow rate in the radiator (cf. the instructions for the hydraulic regulation of the heating system under the link http://regulus.com.pl/download/ REGULACJA%20HYDRAULICZNA%20REGULUS.pdf).

Those models do also have a copper module which is used to screw-in the radiator connection. The gap between of the connections for supply (in) and return (out) is according to EU standards exactly 50 mm. The connection nozzles for the supply are at the inner side of the radiator (marked with a red stripe) whereas the return flow nozzle is located at the side edge of the radiator (marked with a blue stripe). If needed, both connection nozzles can be equipped conversely. One should point this out clearly in the order. Radiators with a bottom-up supply can be mounted with both sides to the front since forefront and flipside are identical.

Question 4:Does operating a Regulus heating system causes a higher level of noise than operating a conventional system?

Answer 4:Some home pages on the Internet state that a number of customers regard the level of the sound of the circulating pump as disturbing, regardless of the type and technique of the individual radiator. As a matter of fact, heating systems made of steel and copper carry the vibrations of the furnace through the pipes and tubes to the various radiators. Possible turmoil at the outlets may also cause a certain degree of noise.

The following three possibilities do we offer as solutions in the case of noises:

A: Certain parts of the radiators may need to be equipped with rubber bases, spacers, or interfaces in order to get the device either a higher degree of flexibility in its parts or fixed liaisons vice versa.

B: Bleed the air of the radiators properly.

C: The heating system needs to be hydraulically adjusted by equating the passage, both »hot«and »cold«. It's essential, however, how precisely the whole system is maintained. This starts with the installation itself since a too tight mounting on walls that are uneven for example will certainly cause unnecessary clamping. In regard to our Regulus radiators, a heating system with long straight copper tubes and fabrics might cause a noisy clamping in both mounting pillars because of the missing expansion joint. This problem is less true of those radiators made of steel since in this case not the radiator expands but the tubes. A gliding rubber separator at the contacts usually solves all phenomenon described above. Due to the fact that our radiators are lighter than others, they are likely more susceptible to acoustic transfers. Therefore, we always point out the importance of the correct hydraulic adjustment of the system. A thoroughly maintained heating system, no matter of the kind of material, will work silently, efficiently, and economically with Regulus radiators.

Question 5:Radiators byRegulus are made of copper and aluminum. Is this compound permissible respectively does it have a higher risk of possible corrosion?

Answer 5:According to the known stress-strain behavior of elements, the higher the potential difference of the used metals is, the higher is the risk of low performance and problems such as disturbing noises. An electrode made of aluminum has a potential of 1.66 V whereas one made of copper has a potential of only 0.521 V. The electro-chemical reaction between these two elements is that the atoms of aluminum react with the copper since the metal ions in the water cause the specific electrolyte. A heating system should therefore be made with materials of a low potential difference only; in the best case, with just one single metal whose potential difference is, of course, neutral naught. Many heating systems have a shortened operational life span because of the simple ignorance of these facts described above or mistakes by the installers. Different materials can surely be used but not all and merely under certain circumstances. In short: Copper and aluminum shouldn't be used together in constructing heating systems because of the corrosion through the contact with the water caused reactions that lead to a erosion of the materials. In Regulus heating systems, copper and aluminum are only used in dry conjunctions between pipes, tubes, and and lamellae. The heating water, however, has no contact with the aluminum used but just with the copper. This avoids any electro-chemical caused corrosion.

Question 6:Is it possible and safe to operate Regulus heating systems with open heating systems?

Answer 6:Our products can be installed with both a closed and an open heating system. Using Regulus radiators with a closed heating system has no influence of the leakproofness of each radiator or its guarantee which lasts 25 years for family houses. Apart from copper pipes and tubes, a radiator by Regulus has the highest operating life span of all parts of any heating system.

An open heating system is permanently in contact with oxygen through the coolant expansion reservoir which is at the same time responsible for a permanent contact between the heating water and the oxygen of the air, too. After the dialysis of the oxygen in the heating water, this reactive gas leads to the corrosion of the metal parts of the system. Therefore, the manufacturers advise to use their products only with closed systems. If used with an open system, the installation of corrosion inhibitor devices is useful, although upkeeping of the concentration and the maintenance of the device is a burden for the customer. Since the water supply system of the Regulus products is made of copper only, a further reaction between copper and the oxygen in the water has become impossible after a slight film of cupric oxide will have come up after the first days of use. The use of a riddle screen filter for small particles that might harm mainly the circulating pump is still necessary though.

Question 7:The installers plugged the heating system with blue for in (supply) and red (return) for out. Does this influence the proper operation of the radiator?

Answer 7:If this had no influence on the heating efficiency, we would have renounced to mark both nozzles prior to this with colored stripes. This labeling makes sense not to confuse the supply with the return nozzle of the radiator. The gap between of the connections for supply (in) and return (out) is according to EU standards exactly 50 mm. According to common standards, the connection nozzles for the supply are at the inner side of the radiator (marked with a red stripe) whereas the return flow nozzle is located at the side edge of the radiator (marked with a blue stripe). With the cut-off valve, as shown on the right edge in the illustration, the flow can be blocked while the heating system is in use. On each outlet valve, except the ball valve, the direction of the flow is being marked by an arrow. When installed in the wrong direction, the flow might cause a noise in the outlet, becomes turmoil, or will even be impossible at all. The loss of power that comes along with a wrong installation will be 10 to 15 per cent at the maximum at radiators like the RDB model with a bottom-up supply without a thermostatic outlet or even up to 50 per cent accompanied by a high noise of the flow with the RD model with a bottom-up supply with a thermostatic outlet. If your local installer confused the supply nozzles, this mistake can be healed by one of these three measurements:

A: If needed, both connection nozzles can be equipped conversely at Regulus radiators without any surcharge. One should point this out clearly in the corresponding order.

B: You might consider to install a cross valve in order to change the direction of the flow.

C: One can also consider changing supply and returning at the dispenser device, if existent, or at the furnace itself.